


Rise and Shine

by Kaisui



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Drama, F/M, Oral Sex, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-07-27 06:40:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7607692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaisui/pseuds/Kaisui
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryze didn't like people, but he did like magic. So, he'd spend most of his time researching something. Normally it was a leisurely solo affair and  Lux's sudden addition was unexpected. Not terrible, just unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The institute’s library was a place of quiet serenity, and aside from Nasus’ heavy footsteps, and clanking armor, it was. Which was the reason why Lux’s sudden presence was grating severely on Ryze’s nerves. She had swept into the library not too terribly long ago, throwing a cheery greeting to everyone she came across. She moved about, pulling numerous books from the shelves, letting out little squeaks, squeals, and gasps as she either found or didn’t find what she was looking for. It was driving him mad.

Ryze growled into the book he was reading, glowering over the top of the pages as he watched the light mage sweep by his table again. He closed the heavy tome with a dissatisfied snort. Placing the book on the table he shoved it to the side in favor of rubbing his temples. Taking a deep breath he reached out and pulled a different book off the small pile he had acquired. Opening the work he threw himself back into his research, attempting to get away for a while. He was half way through a new page of notes when a slight cough demanded his attention. Gritting his teeth, Ryze was dead set to ignore it.

“Um, Ryze?” Lux called, her voice light and ever cheerful. She held a stack of books in her hands, the pile almost reaching her chin. She smiled at him brightly practically glowing in the light of the library. She probably was, Ryze mused wryly. Despite her friendly demeanor, he gave no effort in trying to return it. Instead he greeted her with the most annoyed glare he could muster when looking up from his work. She leaned forward to place the stack of books in front of the seat across from him.

“What?” He asked, both in irritation and confusion as she flounced into the seat across from him. He took up more than half of the table with his work alone. There wasn’t any space for her, and yet she still sat down. He found his irritation rising just a bit more as his grip tightened around his pen.

“May I borrow that?” She asked, pointing towards the book he had placed aside earlier. He glanced at the cover, ‘Modern Magic Theory’ was embossed across the front in easy to read print. Honestly, he found it fairly dull, even if it did raise a few good points. 

“No.” Ryze answered gruffly. His tone was flat, leaving no room for argument. He leveled her one more look before going back to his notes.

“But…” Lux began slowly, withdrawing her hand as she furrowed her brow in confusion. “You’re researching channeling magic.” She stated. 

Her observation was enough to give him pause, and he looked up from his writing in time to catch the confused look on her face. Ryze hadn’t told anyone what he was working on yet, partly because he wasn’t sure if it would go anywhere, and partly because the institute would throw so much money at him just so they could claim part of the work. Somehow she had figured it out, just by looking at the materials he had gathered, and probably some of the notes he had written down. She had managed to pique his interest with her observation. 

“I am.” Ryze admitted. Laying down his pen, he leaned back in his chair and regarded the blonde with a calculating look. He wanted to see where she would go with this, hoping it would provide at least some entertainment. 

“Then you shouldn’t need it.” Lux answered boldly. She crossed her arms over her chest and tensed her jaw in aggravation. Her brows furrowed and her bright blue eyes seemed to shift to a darker color as she glared him down across the table. 

“Why would you say that?” Ryze challenged. He was sure she knew what she was talking about, now he just wanted to know how much she knew. He watched her wrinkle her nose in annoyance, she was fully aware that he was belittling her and yet she still rose to the bait. Perhaps she wasn’t as naïve as she pretended to be. 

“I’ll have you know that I am the leading authority in the field of illumination magic. That book, right there,” Lux said, beginning her rampage by jabbing a finger at the aforementioned book again. “As you know, was written by one Xavier A. Prescott, a mage also specializing in illumination magic. In the entirety of that book he references channeling two separate times; the instances of light, and heat, buildup and discharge. In which one or the other is not always present when a spell is cast.” Lux finished. She huffed and slumped back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest again. 

Ryze was momentarily surprised, then again it was probably wrong of him to doubt Demacia’s brightest mage. He regarded her silently for a few more moments, before sliding the book across the table. Lux’s face lit up, clearly thinking she had won the argument. Taking hold of the book she went to pick it up, but Ryze had never let go. She looked at him in a mixture of confusion and irritation.

“You should know, on page 347 Prescott mentions something very interesting about illumination magic in regards to channeling, rather he mentions its complete absence.” Ryze said. He released the book, allowing her to pull it away from him. He knew she was going to check the fact, because she was curious like that.

As he turned back to his work he could practically hear her distress as she looked between the book and him, followed by the rustling of paper as she flipped to the page. A self-satisfied smirk grace his lips as he heard her let out a soft gasp of disbelief. He heard her mumble something along the lines of ‘how did I miss that?’ before listening to her scramble up. She opened her mouth to say something to him before deciding against it and scurrying away. The smirk remained for a good while longer. He was not one to be easily bested in a battle of wits, and it felt good to win. 

Three days later, however, Lux was back at his table, a smile promising things to come on her face. Ryze regarded her warily, prolonged conversations were not his area of expertise and Lux looked like she wanted to talk. It was either that or she wanted revenge for the stunt he pulled earlier in the week. She’s, quite literally, the brightest mage of her generation and he honestly should have seen this coming. He cursed himself for not taking precautions.

“Ok, so, assuming that you’re right and that channeling magic is –“ Lux began. She launched into her speech with gusto. She bounced on her toes, clearly excited about the topic. Her passion for what she was speaking about was so overwhelming that it took Ryze a few moments to recognize what she was saying.

Ryze’s wariness quickly turned to surprise upon realizing the fact that she had worked out his thesis. He found himself studying her again just a bit more closely as he listened to her ramble about his theory. She seemed very interested in the research as she waved her hands around animatedly. She didn’t have anything to gain from his study, and if she wanted to steal what he was working on then she was doing a poor job of it by explaining her own theories to him. All of it left Ryze disoriented and just a bit defensive. No one did anything for free, she had to want something.

“Then a complete spell isn’t based on its type at all but rather on its instance of casting. Making each spell different. Meaning there are no ‘spells’! Ryze, you’re a genius!” Lux finished with a squeal, slamming her hands on the table and leaning forward. Her eyes were bright and her smile blinding. Ryze had to admit he felt mildly uncomfortable with her standing over him and grinning like that. 

“Thank you.” He finally answered uncertainly, coming out of his momentary stupor.

“You’re welcome, but I was wondering. How do you expect to account for intermediary buffering?” She asked, once again placing herself in the seat across from him. 

“Buffers…” Ryze stated in thought. She seemed to be surprising him a lot recently, bringing up a valid point. There wasn’t much time lost in the transfer of magic through skin into corporeal form, so he hadn’t given it much thought.

“You haven’t?” Lux asked, she sounded shocked. “But there’s a longer channel time for wands and staves…” She continued uncertainly.

Ryze knew that fact, but somehow the way she said that made it seem like he had overlooked something huge. The notion irked him and he narrowed his eyes to glare at her. He knew that channel times were different depending on release point. He knew that it changed the way magic flowed depending on the medium and… oh.

“You’re right.” He admitted, his thoughts trailing off into a whirlwind of ideas brought about by the implication of her words. His fingers itched to pick up his pen just so he could try and write down everything he was thinking before he lost it.

Lux’s face lit up like she had won something. She plunged her hands into a bag and quickly brought out a stack of papers. She splayed them on the table in front of her. “I was wondering if these would be any help.” She said more than asked. She looked unsure, she left the papers on the table but her fingers fidgeted like she wanted to take them back. 

Ryze was beyond surprised at this point. For some reason she had done research on something he’d missed, and she’d done it quite thoroughly if the sheer amount of paper had any validation. Honestly he wasn’t sure what was going on anymore. 

“I mean, “ Lux faltered, taking his silence badly. “It’s just all so intriguing. I kept thinking about it, at first I figured I didn’t have an opinion on it really. Then I remembered the way you channel is different than a normal mage. When you channel magic it’s really fluid, there is little time wasted.” She babbled, fidgeting in her seat as she tried to explain her thought process.

Ryze leaned forward to pick up the packet of papers, watching Lux the entire time. Once having hold of the papers he glanced over them quickly. Her theory looked correct, and well in line with his own, the two would work together seamlessly. He wanted to use her material. That meant he would need to collaborate with her though. Ryze furrowed his brow, he could use her work as a basis for his research and then do his own on the subject, but that would take a considerable amount of time.

“Can I…” Ryze began, faltering in his speech as he tried to swallow his pride. He was saved from continuing because Lux was already nodding vigorously, a bright smile plastered across her face. 

“Yeah, of course!” She said excitedly. She was already pulling out a notebook and pen. Apparently she had been prepared to stay whether he’d invited her or not. She smiled brightly flipping to a blank page in her notebook and pulling a book towards her to begin taking notes. 

Ryze nodded distractedly, continuing to read over what she had done. Absent mindedly he passed his own notes and papers to her. They sat silently assessing each other’s work until late in the evening. Occasionally they scratched down notes and asked the other on clarification on some parts of their writings. As strange as the situation was Ryze found himself enjoying it. Lux was terribly clever, and brought a fresh wave of thoughts to his work that he would have taken months to come across on his own.

A soft yawn from Lux brought Ryze out of his thoughts. He glanced up from his work to catch her rubbing her eyes tiredly another soft yawn leaving her lips. She shook her head gently and set back to work, leaning over the paperwork again a look of determination plastered across her features. At some time during the evening she had pulled her hair back into a messy bun, she had tucked her pen behind an ear as she read, and her fingertips had little ink smudges all over them. Ryze found all of it very endearing. 

“You can leave.” Ryze said quickly, tearing his eyes away. He berated himself for thinking of her in anyway other than a colleague. In doing so he missed the hurt look that crossed her face at his words.

Lux opened her mouth to protest only for her words to be stopped by another yawn. She stifled it quickly, conceding that maybe she did need to sleep. She packed her bag slowly, asking for permission every time she went to take one of Ryze’s papers for overnight reading. Standing from the table she looked up at the clock on the far wall, it was well past two in the morning. She bit her lip and began to walk away, turning back to the table she readjusted her grip on her bag.

“Should I come back tomorrow?” Lux asked.  She was uncertain, maybe today was just a fluke and Ryze would be back to his moody unapproachable self tomorrow. Lux tried to keep herself from fidgeting as she waited for an answer. Ryze never glanced up as he gave a distracted ‘yeah’ in response to her question. Grinning triumphantly, she practically bounced her way out of the library.  

Ryze was one of the few champions in the League that Lux knew practically nothing about. This research turned study session was an unexpected, but pleasant, chance to make a new friend. She was genuinely excited to have the chance to speak with a mage that had, not only formal training in magic, but a deep understanding of the magic found in Valoran. Now she had someone she could talk magic theory with without being looked at like a crazy person. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to get fluffy.

Over the past few days Lux had learned a lot about Ryze through idle chatter during their research. Like; how he apparently hated limes, and always wrote in a variety of ink colors because he found black monotonous, how he would go days without sleeping because he was engrossed in a project. She was enthralled learning each new thing about him, Ryze was turning out to be even more of an enigma than she’d originally thought. It was exciting. She found herself wanting to know more and more, which is what lead to their current conversation topic.

“So, you comb your beard?” Lux asked. She was taking a break from researching. One eyebrow lifted and her arms propped on the table. Ryze rolled his eyes and huffed at the question. He dropped his pen and lifted his hands in defeat. Lux was going to force this break and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“Yes. It’s hair.” Ryze said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He leaned back in his chair to look at her, abandoning his work. He ran his fingers through his beard subconsciously, combing out a few tangles in the process. He felt his heart flutter as Lux smiled brightly at the action, a little wrinkle appearing above her nose. He pursed his lips at the feeling, maybe he was getting too attached.

“Sorry. I can’t grow a beard.” Lux replied with a laugh. She brushed her hair out of her face, and plopped her check in her hand. Her smile growing wider as she teased him. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she giggled at his reactions. She was clearly enjoying herself. 

“Well, I would think not.” Ryze responded with a roll of his eyes. He had realized while working with her that she wasn’t fond of too much silence. She would grow tired of the work and spawn a random question and answer session. He couldn’t say he wasn’t enjoying it, but sometimes her topics were strange.

“So, when you wash your beard, do you also condition it?” Lux questioned. She twirled a finger in her own hair at the thought. She spent more time than she would like to admit keeping her locks a consistent shiny and flowing cascade of blonde. She didn’t spend as much time on it as, say, Miss Fortune or Sona, but she liked to keep it well maintained. She supposed that all hair had a certain routine for upkeep. 

“No.” Ryze answered shortly, shaking his head. He’d figured the conversation was over at that point and picked up his pen once more. The shocked exclamation form Lux pointed to otherwise. She was leaning on the table a scrutinizing gaze fixed on him. She was still in the mood for conversation, so he didn’t actually get to start back on the work.

“Why not?” She asked. She looked him over from top to bottom. He seemed very dedicated to everything he did. Personal hygiene had to be in the category somewhere. It didn’t seem possible that he would grow his beard that long and not condition it, at all. How did he keep it from breaking, or drying out, or tangling up?

“Conditioner makes my face oily.” He admitted. He had tried conditioning a few times, but it caused his skin to break out. He’d rather not have the face of a pubescent teen, thank you. So he’d cut conditioning from his routine. It saved him both time and money. Not that it mattered in the long run, he wasn’t bound to make ‘The League’s Top Five Hottest Men’ list anytime soon. 

“Huh, but it looks good on you.” Lux mused aloud. She puckered her lips and wrinkled her nose, scrutinizing him closely. She noted that he put work into maintaining his beard, obviously, because he’d chosen to keep it long rather than cut it short like the other men. Also unlike the other men, his beard didn’t look sharp and prickly.

Ryze furrows his brow at her. He was unequivocally flattered by her words, and he could feel his face heating up. Still, he was confused, how could anything look ‘good’ on him. He idly twists the end of his beard, as he thinks it’s becoming a habit. He didn’t want to dwell on her words for too long, but it made him feel, he flounder for a while searching for the right word. His frown deepened just a bit more before he picks the word ‘good’ for lack of anything else coming to mind. He thinks he’s beginning to genuinely like her company, and it makes him scowl. He grumbles under his breath and dives back into his work. 

Lux smiles at his antics. Finding ways to fluster the older male was quickly becoming a pastime of hers. His cheeks would turn a deep shade of purple when he blushed, making the magic in his eyes seem a little brighter. His eyebrows would pinch together, and his eyes would go anywhere but her. His mouth would set in firm line, the left corner dipping downwards just slightly. It was weirdly adorable. Maybe it was creepy that she wanted to literally catalog everything he said to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to care for the moment. Smiling to herself she decided to let him be and returned to her own work. Her smile broadening every now and then as Ryze muttered to himself about what he was looking at.

He, honestly, barely realized he kept up a monologue while working. Usually no one else was around to hear the meandering thoughts that passed through his mind and out his mouth while he was working. It was a habit he’d developed for being alone for so long, a habit that spanned from knowing others would understand. He hadn’t realized that Lux could hear him, or that she was even listening to his musings until he caught her trying to stifle a smile after a particular quip he’d made. After that he’d made it a point to see if he could get her to laugh. It was saying something along the lines of ‘because magic is a completely logical and predictable thing’ that he hit his goal and Lux was bubbling with laughter, and their work was at a standstill again.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Lux said as she laughed at his comment, breaking the composure she was trying to keep. Her teeth flashed in an excited smile, causing her cheeks to dimple ever so slightly. She covered her mouth to muffle the sound, turning away from him shyly. She managed to get out another apology between giggles as she tried to quiet herself. Her cheeks and the tips of her ears were dusted with a light red at the end of the process. She coughed once to get herself back under control and turned to face him again the soft blush still present. Ryze was struck with how adorable she looked in the moment; a bright blush, hair slightly out of place, and a blinding smile plastered on her face. 

“Why are you apologizing?” Ryze asked, once he got over the startling realization of how cute she was. His question came out blunt, more accusatory than he had meant for it to be. For some reason her haste to quiet herself angered him. He dropped the paper to the table, he wasn’t getting anything else from it anyways. He incessantly ignored the voice in the back of his head, telling him that it was three levels of bad to get close to her, in favor of waiting for her answer. He genuinely wanted to know, and that was kind of worrisome. 

“Oh!” Lux looked surprised at his question, her smile faltering. Her gaze dropped and she fiddled with her pen nervously. “My laugh… it’s annoying.” She said softly, thinking back to all the moments her summoners had forced her to laugh just to irritate one another. Her expression turned hurt as she lifted a hand to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear. 

“It’s cute.” Ryze said abruptly, almost cutting off her sentence with how quickly he admitted it. He was furious that she would think that, and even more furious at whoever told her that. He liked Lux. Not many people could catch his interest, but she had managed it and since then his life had become so much more vibrant. He almost winced at how cheesy his internal word choice managed to be, but he couldn’t think of anything more fitting for the mage that sat before him.

“What!?” Lux’s head snapped up at his words, her face colored with disbelief. Her blush had darkened to a red that seemed impossible as a shade and she squeaked in surprise. She didn’t think she misheard him, he was normally very careful with his word choice. Her heart beat faster, and her stomach fluttered nervously.

“Your laugh, it’s cute.” Ryze reaffirmed, he wasn’t one to avoid topics. Even if harboring feelings towards the younger mage was a bit inappropriate. So he stubbornly stamped down the warnings in the back of his mind and said what he wanted. For better or worse, it hadn’t failed him yet. Besides, she had paid him a compliment, it was best he returned the favor. There were always flattering words he could say about her. 

“I—“ Lux faltered, stumbling over her thoughts. She had heard him right, he said it twice she couldn’t even pretend he had said something else. Her heart beat faster and she was struck with a loss for words. She didn’t know what to do, or how to respond. She was giddy, and nervous, and scared, and flattered, and all sorts of other emotions that she couldn’t describe. He had called her cute, sort of, and she didn’t know what to do with that information. 

“Excuse me.” Lux finally rushed out. Quickly cramming her papers, pens, and books into her bag she fled from the table. She couldn’t figure out if she should say goodbye or even muster up the poise say something to him at all in this moment. So she settled for an awkward wave and disappeared around the corner.   
Once free of the library Lux’s fast paced strides slowed and then stopped. The moment came back to her in a rush and she couldn’t stop the little smile that came to her face. He liked her, Ryze didn’t like anyone, but he liked her. That said so much. She giggled excitedly twirling in a small circle until she realized how strange it all was. She groaned aloud, grinding to a halt and bringing a hand up to hide her blush.

“What am I doing?” She scolded herself, tightening the hold she had on her shoulder bag. She dragged her hand down her face sighing heavily. It was clear she needed to reevaluate what she thought about Ryze. Which was another question in itself, what did she think about Ryze? He was smart, of course. In great physical condition, that was clear. Apparently his humor was cynical, and he was straight forward to the point of blatant rudeness. He actually held conversations with her, instead of laughing her words away like she was too smart for her own good. He didn’t treat her like just a pretty face or a politician to be won over, he treated her just like he treated everyone else. It was nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've returned! Sort of, school was kicking me in the shins. Then when I fell over it continued to kick me in the face. Then Overwatch showed up, and was like "Look at all the shiny new ships!" Then I was on a three week loosing streak in League... So yeah, don't know why I explained that. You people just skip these things anyways.


	3. Girl talk

Lux was spending her time thinking. So far while she pondered her new crush, as she admitted that it was indeed a crush, she had run into; two walls, three summoners, one door, and tripped over a low table. It was frustrating having new information and not knowing what to do with it. She had spent her normal time with Ryze in a flustered daze and ended up cutting the time short as to not embarrass herself any further . 

“Lux?” A voice called from somewhere behind the confused lady of luminosity. Lux blinked in surprise. Turning to look over her shoulder she locked eyes with Jana, whose expression was somewhere between amusement and contemplation. 

“Oh! Jana!” Lux said brightly, waving slightly to the wind mage. She unconsciously brushed down her shirt and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She’d been sitting in the library for the better half of the day, practically throwing around books and papers in an effort to look busy. She probably looked tousled, and she knew for a fact there was ink smudged on her cheek. 

“Is something on your mind?” Jana asked. She floated towards Lux gently, a soft smile on her face. She lowered herself to the ground gently her bare toes lightly tapping against the stone of the hallway floor. Without breeze holding her aloft Jana was roughly the same height as Lux, if not a bit taller. Her platinum blonde hair fell to mid back, tucked neatly behind her daintily pointed ears. She leaned on her staff just slightly, looking at Lux expectantly. 

“What, why would you think that?” Lux said, wincing slightly at how it came out at a higher pitch than she intended it to. She forced a bright laugh in hopes to cover her mistake, waving her hands around dismissively to draw Jana’s attention elsewhere. The blush that rose to her cheeks only brought all her actions full circle completing the picture of someone who was doing something highly suspicious.

“I had called you four times.” Jana informed the other blonde, she tilted her head to the side in confusion. She gave an amused smile as Lux stopped abruptly, the other girl seeming to wilt at the news. Jana brought a hand up to cover her smile. It was obvious that whatever was bothering Lux was no laughing matter, considering how hard the girl had been thinking about it.

“Really? I’m so sorry.” Lux apologized. She hadn’t realized she’d zoned out so hard. Maybe this meant she was serious about… She didn’t know how to describe it. It was mind boggling. As a person Ryze was so different than her; older, cynical, and definitely not a people person. Yet she kept going back to talk with him. She’d see things, or hear conversations, and think about what he might have to say about it. She could hardly wait to meet up with him in the library to spill forth whatever theories she had about this or that spell, or to just ramble about her day. Clearly he was becoming someone important to her and she couldn’t think of why everything he did had such an effect on her.

“It’s fine, Luxana.” Jana said, noticing the girl slip back into a long thought process. She placed a hand on Lux’s shoulder, meaning to mentally ground the girl from her drifting thoughts. She smiled as Lux didn’t even acknowledge the touch, too wrapped in her thoughts to be bothered. 

“Let’s get something to drink and you can tell me all about it.” Jana suggested as she lifted off the floor again, the breeze drifting lazily across Lux’s cheek. 

“Yeah, ok.” Lux replied, her voice low and her thoughts still far in the distance. It would be good to speak with someone else about her situation, maybe she could organize the feelings into a more controlled state. She lifted a hand to her face as she poured over the situation once more. Again, the weird giddy feeling of excitement and terror bubbled up in her stomach. She tried to stop it, lightly slapping her cheeks and telling herself to focus. She set her mind towards solving this problem and trailed after Jana. She was determined to figure out how to approach this before she next spoke to Ryze.

Jana led the way into a cozy café attached to the outer side of the institute. The area around the Institute of War had sprung up into a bustling tourist location seemingly overnight. The sudden rise in the popularity of league matches had brought all sorts of merchants, craftsmen, and fans to the area. It was both a blessing and a curse. Lux waved lightly to a group of girls who squealed upon seeing the two blondes heading towards the café. There were always people milling about to try and catch a glimpse of their favorite champions. The two hurried along ducking into the cafe before anyone could stop them for autographs. 

The two sat at a small table towards the back away from the pulsing crowd near the front doors and beneath a window. Lux ordered a coffee that was more milk than anything, and Jana an herbal tea. Their waiter quickly dispersed after taking their order leaving the two girls to exchange pleasantries. He returned almost immediately with their drinks, offering a curt bow he quickly went on his way. 

“So what is on your mind?” Jana asked, she lifted the cup of tea in her hands and sipped at it carefully. The idle chatter of the cafe’s other patrons would set the tone for their conversation. She was confident that they wouldn’t be overheard, and the warm atmosphere would make it easy for Lux to be open about what was troubling her. Lux sighed heavily, brushing a hand through her hair and leaning forward onto the table. 

“I don’t, I don’t even know.” Lux sighed again. She slumped in her chair. “So, there’s this guy, I think. I mean, I don’t think I could explain him if I tried.” Lux says with a frown. She fiddles with the spoon in her drink, slowly stirring away the pattern drawn into the foam on the top. 

Jana nods empathetically. She sips her tea watching Lux roll through her emotions. Right now Lux just needed someone to listen to her, otherwise she would talk herself in circles. Jana was more than happy to be there for Lux, since the girl had been there for her when everything had gone south for her with those pictures. Jana’s mood soured at the memory.

“Do I know him?” Jana asked. She shifted in her seat quickly taking a sip of her drink to steer her mind back in the right direction.

“Yes.” Lux said. She ducked her head, blushing heavily as she did. A dopey smile stretched across her face and she bit her lip in an effort to stop it. In Jana’s eyes she was failing miserably at staying composed and fell perfectly into the stereotype of a young woman with a crush. 

“Oh my, you seem very enamored.” Jana said. She smiled knowingly. She hid a chuckle behind her mug as Lux gave her the most scandalized look. The other blonde was stuttering in a high pitch, all fervent denials as she waved her arms about.

“I’m not!” Lux almost shrieked, causing a few heads of the other patrons to turn in their direction. Lux clamped her mouth shut and sank into her chair a groan of embarrassment leaving her. “Ugh, I totally am.” She said, slumping forward to press her forehead against the table top.

“I was just teasing, Lux.” Jana said, surprised that Lux had gotten so upset about it. “Will you ask him out?” Jana asked curiously. She could see that Lux was falling hard and fast for whoever this guy was.

“Ask him out!?” Lux practically screams in horror, shooting upwards. Her hands flailed uselessly as she the thought ran through her mind. That meant on a date, outside of the institute. Where would they go, what would they do, would he even say yes? Lux brought a hand to her face as these thoughts and more swirled around her head. 

“No, no. I mean, he’s great! Or he’s been great to me at least, but a date? No.” Lux said before realizing how loud she had gotten. She felt the back of her neck heat up as a few other patrons in the café looked on with varying expressions. Clearing her throat with a slight cough, Lux buried her face into her drink before practically spitting it back out as Jana spoke up. 

“Oh. So, he’s not going to ask you out?” Jana asked again. She tilted her head to the side in wonder as she watched Lux practically wilt at the question.

“He would never ask me out.” Lux answered. She sipped at her drink desolately. Her gaze cast downwards as she trailed a finger across the top of the table. She lazily traced the pattern of the grain as her thoughts trailed off into the dark.

“Then you have to ask him.” Jana said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Jana laughed as Lux shot her a look that said the wind mage was clearly crazy for thinking it. She raised a hand to cut off the protest that Lux was about to make. Huffing Lux flopped back into her chair and waited for Jana to finish her thought. 

“Luxana, I know you, and I know that if you never ask, you’ll be all mopey. The worst that can happen is he’ll say no.” Jana said, her voice reassuring.

“He will say no!” Lux protested, once sure that Jana was done with her speech. She paused the gears turning in her mind as she went over her statement again. “You know what? You’re right, I should ask him, and he’ll say no, and I can get over him.” Lux said brightly.

“I’m surprised you’re willing to take that answer.” Jana said an indulgent smile crossing her face. Lux was definitely something else when it came to her thought process. “Wouldn’t it have been better for him to say yes?” She continues tilting her head to the side just slightly.

“He’s kind of prickly. In a house cactus sort of way.” Lux tried to explain. At the part blank part intrigued look Jana gave her Lux tried to expand on her explanation. “You know, sharp when you poke it, but it’s not fatal and you’ll get used to it.” She tried waving her hand in lazy circles.

“Right,” Jana said drawing the word out. She looked Lux up and down with skepticism. “and who is this again?” Jana asked, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.   
Lux chewed on her lip uncertainly, nervously running a hand along the back of her neck. She sighed softly and leaned forwards over the table. She beckoned Jana to do the same. Looking around once more Lux cupped a hand around her mouth and hissed nervously.

“It’s- It’s Ryze.” Lux said. She pursed her lips and stared intently at Jana as the other mage took in her words.

“Ryze?” Jana asked. She blinked in surprise. Her brain slowing down to process the information. Leaning back in her chair she pressed a finger to her chin in thought. Lux had said she was doing a project with him for the foreseeable future. She couldn’t say she knew too much about the rune mage other than that he was older. 

“Ugh, “ Lux groaned slumping back in her chair. She picked up her cup and idly swirled the contents around before taking a sip. “I’m, like, still processing it.” She admitted, taking another sip of her drink.

“I wonder if it’s a kink?” Jana mused out loud, causing Lux to choke on her drink again. Jana smiled at her teasingly. “Have you tried calling him ‘Daddy’?” She asked, her smile widening as Lux practically exploded.

“Oh my god!” The younger mage shouted. Her face red from the tips of her ears down to her collar bone. She stuttered incoherently her hands fluttering about distractedly before she brought her hands to her face to hide. The worst part were the thoughts she was having. The thoughts of her doing exactly that, calling him daddy, basking in the praise of him telling her how good she was. It was so terrible, but so good.

“Lux, are you alright there?” Jana asked in concern. She hadn’t been prepared for this to be the reaction she’d gotten from Lux but the girl was unpredictable at times. 

“No.” Lux groaned, “Please, leave me to die.” She sighed dramatically.

Jana rolled her eyes, taking the theatrics to mean that Lux would be fine. She lifted a hand to call the waiter back to their table. She carefully directed his attention away from Lux, who was now making a low droning noise in the back of her throat, and paid for the bill. Lifting out of her chair, Jana floated to the other side of the table and tapped Lux on the shoulder. 

“Come now, it can’t be all that bad.” Jana said, another whine from Lux was the only response. Scoffing to herself Jana used a bit of magic to pull Lux up and out of the chair. Lux groaned dramatically and trudged along behind her friend.

“I’m glad I told you.” Lux says, once they’re safely back inside the halls of the institute.

“I’m glad as well, and I hope you will allow me to help you.” Jana says, placing a hand on Lux’s shoulder.

“Help me?” Lux asks in confusion. She tilts her head to the side, her lips pursing together in a small frown. Jana looks like the cat that got the cream and her smile widens slowly. The meaning clicks into place quickly from there and Lux is terrified for what’s to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A faster update with the sacrifice of zero interaction between the intended parties. However we're now set up for some wacky wing man situations! Stick with me because this story is pretty much running away and I need a lasso to get it back under control... Also I have a bad habit of switching my tense up mid sentence. (I'll work on that.)

**Author's Note:**

> If you've reached here, thank you for putting up with my thought process, and clicking the story. This is my OTP, it doesn't exist. So, I have to make it exist, here, in corporeal form. In hopes that it spreads beyond just me. Yeah, thanks again!


End file.
